The federal government gave the MTA approval to move to the final planning phase this week for the Second Avenue subway project. The next expansion would extend the Q line from 96th Street to 125th Street in Harlem, adding three new subway stops.
“This moves us into the home stretch towards full funding and the start of construction on this incredibly important project,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
The project is moving to the so-called engineering phase, which means it must submit further documents in order to qualify for federal grants. The MTA has currently pegged the project at $6.3 billion, and hopes federal funding will cover half the costs.
The agency expects that grants funded by the recently passed infrastructure bill will be used for the construction costs.
“As New York City continues to rebuild while working towards economic recovery and addressing the inequalities faced by communities of color that were exacerbated during the pandemic, investing in transit equity improvements is a must,” Representative Adriano Espaillat said in a statement. “Certainly, the Second Avenue Subway extension will serve as a catalyst for improving the local economy and small business development while addressing these environmental and social issues.”
The three new stations at 106th Street, 116th Street, and 125th Street will all have elevators and are expected to provide service for 100,000 riders a day.
While some tunnels currently exist along the 1.5-mile route, the MTA must modernize them to accommodate trains and infrastructure, as well as build three new stations, including one deep underground that connects to the existing 125th Street station. Once construction begins, it’s expected to take eight years to complete.
(this story/news/article has not been edited by PostX News staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
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